Collecting Posters

Posters are eagerly sought after by collectors far and wide. Many seek them purely for personal use as decor in their homes and offices however an ever increasing number seek them as collectible items with a potential investment value.

The latter are perhaps encouraged by the fact that in 1989 Toulouse-Lautrec's famous Moulin Rouge Poster sold for $220,000.

Of course not all posters will aspire to that sum but many do sell for upwards of $25,000 and there is a thriving market in posters valued at under $1000.

So, what should you collect and what will make money for you?

As always in the field of collecting there are so many variables and market fluctuations that being specific is extremely difficult, however the following guidelines may be of assistance.

Posters to look for - Many collectors specialize in a particular subject, artist, style etc however I personally collect on the "because I like it" basis. I collect primarily for personal enjoyment and secondly for investment value. Particular subjects and indeed artists can, and do, come and go in the "demand" stakes and as a result values can fluctuate enormously, but if you actually enjoy the poster then waiting for the right market conditions is a lot less painful. Having said that there are a few criteria I aim to satisfy in order to improve my chances of achieving a monetary gain should I decide to sell, these are

Aigle Rouge Cognac (c.1945)

Subject and Artist - Bearing in mind my previous comments if you know the market sufficiently well and know how to access collectors in this field then collecting particular subjects or artists can be very rewarding. First you must do a little research to discover which particular subjects, styles or artists are in vogue and what the price ranges are, then do your research for "collectors" for the subject, style or artist which appeals to you amongst those currently popular and away you go. Now you can search the market looking for posters of a particular subject, style or artist armed with a valuable level of pre-knowledge regarding market demand and price. With regards to artist remember Posters are not unlike Original Paintings in that the works of a renowned artist will almost always command a better price than those of the lesser known.

Rarity and Origin - Posters, unlike Original Paintings, were actually intended to be used and expected to be destroyed within a relatively short time of issue. Again, until the advent of photo-offset, print runs tended to be relatively small numbers of a few hundred up to about 3000. It was only in the war years that runs of 10,000 became common. Furthermore the number of posters produced was limited by the fact that in the early days of stone lithography the stones were re-ground after the print run and no more could be produced. Naturally, as in all "collectibles" scarcity has a very high impact on value. The less available the higher the price tends to be. Because of this Posters originally produced by stone lithography tend to be more valuable than others, as do those posters which were fully distributed immediately after print with next to none left in the Printer's Warehouse.

Philips - Bi Ampli (c.1957)

Condition - Finally, it goes without saying that Condition will greatly affect the Value. Posters are graded A to D. Less Rare Posters must be in Mint (Grade A) Condition to attract attention. Collectors will consider and often accept lesser Grades with the Rarer Posters but the higher the grade the higher the price still rings true, often to the tune of thousands of dollars. Value can also be affected by the method of conservation used. Posters are often conserved to extend their life span. Those conserved and mounted on canvas or rice paper tend to be more valued than those not conserved and simply dry-mounted.

A particularly good source for highly collectable "limited edition" posters can be viewed at http://www.printsforpleasure.com/galleries25.htm

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